Audi A5
Sportback
Leasing

The premium mid-sized executive saloon or estate is a crowded field – So what if all the same class, practicality and quality of a BWW 3 Series could be wrapped up with a slightly different, more individual package? That’s the thinking behind this car, Audi’s A5 Sportback. Here, we’ve got a much improved take on the second generation version.

The original MK1 model version of this design was launched back in 2009. Audi positioned it alongside the stylised two-door Coupe and Cabriolet bodystyles in the A5 line-up and called it a ‘five-door coupe’. Buyers liked the idea, familiar already with the idea of up-market coupes with two rear passenger doors thanks to the success of cars like the Mercedes CLS and the Volkswagen Passat CC.

As a result, the first generation A5 Sportback sold strongly and a second generation version followed in 2017, which was updated in early 2020 to create the model you can lease from Vanarama today.

Inside, this design uses Audi’s latest cabin architecture, with its 10.1-inch black panel central display and 12.3-inch ‘Virtual Cockpit’ display screen. Despite the coupe styling, there’s comfortable back seat room for two adults, plus a decently-sized 480-litre boot out back, extendable further to 1,300-litres by folding the split-rear bench.

Trim Levels

There’s a choice of three core A5 Sportback trim levels – ‘Sport’, S line’ and ‘Vorsprung’. As for this model’s new mild hybrid engines are mated to S tronic 7-speed auto transmission with the following options available.

 ## Competitors

This car’s toughest competitor is probably the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, but if you could broaden your search for an executive mid-sized ‘Gran Turismo’ four-door coupe-style, you could also consider cars like the Kia Stinger, the Peugeot 508 Fastback, the Volkswagen Arteon.

 ## Verdict

In summary, this is *exactly *what Ingolstadt promised, an ‘intelligent evolution’ of a car that stacks up on paper and at last can more credibly manage to seat up to five people. It’s all enough to make this A5 Sportback a hard option to ignore if you fit its target market. For a relatively small premium over an A4, it delivers for you a more stylish yet still pretty practical package.